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Libor Hajek

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign A Pair Of Defensemen To PTOs

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CapFriendly has announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed a pair of defensemen to PTOs for their upcoming training camp in September. Mark Pysyk and Libor Hajek have both inked tryout agreements with the Penguins that will give both defenders an opportunity to earn a contract with the team.

Pysyk last played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22 in a season that saw the Sherwood Park, Alberta native put up three goals and nine assists in 68 games. That season earned him a contract with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2022-23 season, however, the 31-year-old tore his Achilles tendon and missed the entire season.

The 25-year-old Hajek has spent the past five seasons shuttling back and forth between the New York Rangers and their AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolfpack. In 118 AHL games Hajek has three goals and 13 assists, while he has posted four goals and eight assists in 110 NHL games. The former second-round pick has good size at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds but hasn’t found a way to utilize it at the NHL level. He has really struggled with the puck on his stick and is frequently guilty of turning the puck over.

Given where the Penguins are at with the bottom pairing in their defence core, it seems very likely that Hajek will struggle to gain an NHL contract with the team. Pittsburgh already has Ty Smith and Pierre-Olivier Joseph competing for the left-side spot on the third defensive pairing and both men can offer more offensively than Hajek. However, Hajek does have more sandpaper and size, which is something the Penguins are lacking in their lineup. It could make for an interesting battle right up until the season starts.

Pysyk on the other hand offers a lot of intrigue to the team’s training camp. Pittsburgh currently has Chad Ruhwedel pencilled in on the third pairing with Mark Friedman as another player looking to compete for a spot. Should Pysyk be able to regain his form from previous seasons it is very possible that he could bump both of those men down the depth chart and capture that final spot on the Penguins third defensive pairing.

Metro Notes: Bowman, Rangers, Lindberg

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This morning, Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, reports that there may be some mutual interest between front office executive Stan Bowman and the Pittsburgh Penguins. On April 14th, the Penguins fired President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and General Manager Ron Hextall after a disappointing season.

Bowman, who recently resigned as President of Hockey Operations with the Chicago Blackhawks after the 2021-22 season, has some serious connection to the Penguins organization. His father, legendary coach Scotty Bowman, coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup victory during the 1991-92 season.

Starting as Director of Hockey Operations with the Blackhawks ahead of the 2005-06 season, Bowman was at the head of all decision-making beginning in the 2009-10 season, when he was named General Manager in Chicago. Under his tenure, the Blackhawks would go on to win three Stanley Cups, and would routinely put on a master class in retooling his roster to stay competitive in the salary cap era.

The major sticking point with not just the Penguins, but any team beginning a relationship with Bowman, is the involvement he had in hiding information about the former video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual abuse of former player Kyle Beach. The lead investigator at the time, Reid Schar, reported that Bowman’s failure to report the abuse likely led to further abuse of the player.

Other Metro notes:

  • As their season came to an end on Monday night, the New York Rangers have assigned Jonny Brodzinski, Jake Leschyshyn, Libor Hajek, and Louis Domingue to their AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. Because their services are no longer needed for the year in the NHL, these four will undoubtedly help Hartford compete for the Calder Cup. As things stand currently, Hartford is one win away from knocking out the Providence Bruins, shortly after knocking out the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first round.
  • Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that Penguins prospect Filip Lindberg has signed a contract with TPS of the Finnish Liiga. Lindberg was originally drafted by Pittsburgh at 197th overall in the 2019 NHL draft. Dealing with injuries the last couple of years playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Lindberg finished this year with a 6-11-1 record, posting a .896 SV% and a 3.13 GAA.

 

Libor Hajek, Linus Hogberg Clear Waivers

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Feb 10: Both players have cleared waivers. That means Hajek can be sent to the minor leagues, and Hogberg is free to pursue other opportunities overseas.

Feb 9: As we await the official announcement of Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers, the team has started clearing some space. Libor Hajek has been placed on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The Philadelphia Flyers have also placed Linus Hogberg on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.

Hajek, 25, came into the Rangers organization with high hopes as part of the return for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, but never lived up to expectations. The 2016 second-round pick has 110 games played over parts of five seasons (all with New York), and has produced just 12 points, averaging fewer than 15 minutes in his appearances.

While he was never supposed to be a big offensive threat, the 6’2″ defenseman hasn’t been effective in his own end, either, At this point, he was a potential candidate to go unqualified in the summer. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll pass through, though, as teams often give high draft picks (especially defensemen) extra chances to prove their worth at the NHL level. On a one-year, $800K contract, it might be worthwhile for a rebuilding club.

Hogberg, meanwhile, played just five games for the Flyers last season and had been buried in the organizational depth chart this year, sitting in the press box even at the AHL level. The 24-year-old will likely return to Sweden to continue his career overseas after the short stint in North America.

Snapshots: Hajek, Manninen, Nosek

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It’s been a tough stretch for defenseman Libor Hajek with the New York Rangers. After being one of the two rather intriguing prospects acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Ryan McDonagh/J.T. Miller trade nearly five years ago, he hasn’t panned out as a regular on Broadway (much like the other acquired prospect, Brett Howden).

Hajek’s now been scratched for a seventh straight game and has been leapfrogged on the depth chart by younger players and AHL veterans alike, notes The New York Post’s Larry Brooks. Head coach Gerard Gallant called out Hajek’s consistency as the reason for his consistent benching. The 24-year-old has a lone goal in 16 appearances this season, playing below 14 minutes per game.

  • With injuries beginning to pile up again for the Vegas Golden Knights, some wondered about European free agent signing Sakari Manninen as a potential call-up option for the minors. However, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger said today that Manninen is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played for the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in nearly a month. The internationally successful Finn has 12 points in 20 games with Henderson this year, his first in North America.
  • After missing yesterday’s game, the Boston Bruins said Tomas Nosek’s absence was more precautionary as he works through “maintenance.” However, the issue may be a bit more severe than that, as he wasn’t a full participant in practice this morning. Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald did note that Nosek skated on his own before practice.

New York Rangers Re-Sign Libor Hajek

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July 12: The Rangers have made it official, signing Hajek to a one-year contract.

July 11:  The New York Rangers will bring back a familiar face to add to their depth in that of Libor Hajek. Per CapFriendly, the Rangers have re-signed Hajek, a pending RFA, to a one-year, one-way deal worth $800K (link). The contract will buy out a year of arbitration eligibility for Hajek and will leave him still an RFA after the upcoming season. Originally a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016, Hajek came to the Rangers in the blockbuster that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller down to Tampa.

With the development of several quality blueline prospects in the Rangers organization, Hajek found himself without much playing time this season, getting into just five AHL games and 17 NHL games in 2021-22. When the defenseman did play in the NHL, things didn’t go so well either, producing just one assist and registering a minus-10 rating, the worst of his career, despite playing in as many as 44 games in previous seasons.

In reality, the defenseman has not been a bad player for the Rangers, but has fallen victim to the team’s development of defensemen like K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, and Zachary Jones and acquisitions of Justin Braun and Patrik Nemeth. On a one-way contract with the Rangers, who figure to be hard-pressed against the NHL salary cap, making it difficult to retain Braun and perhaps necessitating a trade of Nemeth, Hajek could figure to see more time in the lineup, representing an affordable piece that has proven he is able to play minutes at the next level.

This Day In Transactions History: Lightning Acquire Ryan McDonagh And J.T. Miller

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Four years ago today was the 2018 NHL trade deadline, one that featured several notable swaps, including Evander Kane to the Sharks, Tomas Tatar to the Golden Knights, and Paul Stastny to the Jets.  But the biggest one of all came from the Lightning and Rangers.  New York had released their letter committing to rebuilding their franchise earlier in the month and had already made some moves to shore up their future.  This was their biggest one with Tampa Bay moving out several future assets in an effort to win now.

The Lightning picked up defenseman Ryan McDonagh along with winger J.T. Miller in exchange for winger Vladislav Namestnikov, center Brett Howden, defenseman Libor Hajek, plus a first-round pick in 2018 and a second-rounder in 2019.  It has only been four years but it’s safe to say it worked out a whole lot better for Tampa Bay than it did for New York.

McDonagh immediately became a stabilizing force on the back end for the Lightning.  They didn’t need him to play upwards of 24 minutes a night as he was with the Rangers but gave them someone beyond Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman that was capable of shouldering a key load on the back end.  Then-GM Steve Yzerman wasted little time working on an extension with McDonagh and as soon as he became eligible to sign one in July, McDonagh inked a seven-year, $47.25MM deal to ensure he’ll be sticking around for the long haul.

Miller didn’t exactly have the same fate.  He was quite productive down the stretch for Tampa Bay, averaging nearly a point per game after the trade but struggled in the playoffs and didn’t produce as much the following year.  That resulted in him being traded to Vancouver for a pair of draft picks, including the 2020 first-round selection that they ultimately flipped to New Jersey in 2020 as part of the Blake Coleman trade.  Coleman, of course, played an important role on Tampa Bay’s Cup-winning teams in 2020 and 2021 so even though Miller didn’t have the type of impact they were hoping for, they still ultimately got a good return out of his inclusion in the trade.

As for what the Rangers got, things haven’t gone quite so well.  Namestnikov was quiet down the stretch but his performance with Tampa Bay before the trade was still good enough to land him a two-year, $8MM contract that would take him to unrestricted free agency.  One year later after a quiet season, he was flipped in a cap-clearing trade for minor league blueliner Nick Ebert and a fourth-round pick in 2021 that was used on Kalle Vaisanen.  Not a great return on the impact forward they were hoping Namestnikov would be.  He’s now in Detroit and is a candidate to be moved by March 21st.

Howden was a first-round pick of the Lightning back in 2016 (27th overall) and profiled as a key two-way center after putting up some impressive numbers in junior.  However, that offensive output didn’t materialize in the pros and after scoring just 16 goals in 178 games over parts of three seasons with the Rangers, they gave up on him, sending him to Vegas for a 2022 fourth-round pick.  Howden has actually done fairly well this season with 18 points in 39 games for the Golden Knights despite spending a lot of time on the fourth line.

Hajek was another player who impressed at the junior level and it looked as if he’d become a quality NHL defenseman before too long.  While he was a regular for a lot of last season, he was a fixture on the third pairing with sheltered minutes and this year, he has been a frequent healthy scratch.  They don’t want to lose him for nothing on waivers but this is a situation where if they move him, the return will almost certainly be as underwhelming as Howden’s was.

As for the draft picks, it’s a bit too early to make any significant conclusions on those.  The first-rounder yielded defenseman Nils Lundkvist and while he has been fairly quiet in his first season in North America, his track record of offensive success in Sweden is promising.  The second-rounder turned into center Karl Henriksson who isn’t putting up big numbers in Frolunda of the SHL but is holding down a regular spot in the lineup.  Both could certainly be part of New York’s future with Lundkvist getting a sniff of NHL action earlier this season.

For New York to have any chance of salvaging any sort of value from this trade, they’ll need those prospects to become impact players.  They’re down to Vaisanen, Lundkvist, Henriksson, a fourth-round pick, and Hajek (or whatever limited return they get for him).  That’s not a great return from a trade that they were hoping would give them several long-term building blocks for the future, a cautionary tale for how even trading for players that appear to be quality prospects can still not work out as well as intended.  Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has won a couple of Stanley Cup titles since then and while McDonagh’s contract may not age great considering he’s signed through 2026, he’s still playing an important role for them.  The biggest swap of the 2018 deadline looks like a clear-cut victory for them as a result.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jarred Tinordi Assigned To Conditioning Loan

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The New York Rangers continue to employ the conditioning loan to manage their depth on the blue line this season. After Libor Hajek spent time with the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack earlier this season, it is now Jarred Tinordi’s turn. The team has announced that the veteran defenseman is on his way down to the minors for a conditioning stint.

Tinordi’s loan is a bit more puzzling that Hajek’s, however. While Hajek, 23, is still a young and once-promising asset that could have been lost on waivers, Tinordi is a lesser risk. In fact, the 29-year-old stay-at-home specialist already cleared waivers earlier this season. There is also the fact that the Rangers have a clear top six and wouldn’t be significantly harmed even if Tinordi was claimed. Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, and Patrik Nemeth have played in all 25 of New York’s games, while rookie Nils Lundkvist has suited up for 20. Tinordi has played in only five games, the last of which came all the way back on November 21, and is averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game. Hajek meanwhile has amazing still not seen NHL action this year. With such a solid six, is it worth manipulating the roster in this way just to ensure a player like Tinordi isn’t claimed?

The counter-argument is this: beyond their current top six, the Rangers are not as deep as they may seem on defense and Tinordi is more of an established NHL value than it may seem too. While New York has been fortunate enough to not have to dive into their defensive depth yet this season, an injury or tow, especially to one of top blue liners, would leave the team exposed. Miller and Lundkvist are both very young and raw and there are more like them in Hartford. Though all very talented prospects, leaning on the inexperience of Zac Jones, Braden Schneider, or Matthew Robertson in the event of health issues on the NHL blue line would leave the Rangers with very little veteran leadership and know-how. If Tinordi was lost on waivers, only Anthony Bitetto would offer an experienced depth option. Just last year, Tinordi was claimed on waivers too. The Boston Bruins took a shot on the big rearguard when the Nashville Predators risked him on the wire and Tinordi ended up playing out the season in Boston and even suiting up in the postseason. Given their lack of veteran options, it seems that the Rangers are unwilling to risk history repeating itself.

So, Tinordi will get some play time and stay game-ready with a stint in Hartford. The move could also allow for Hajek to finally draw back into the Rangers lineup and could provide the promising Wolf Pack blue liners with another veteran mentor, at least for the time being. It’s not exactly a critical move for the franchise, but it’s a safe play for a team with their eye on finally getting back to the postseason this year.

Snapshots: Eichel, Rask, Hajek

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It didn’t take long for new Golden Knight Jack Eichel to get his way in Vegas. The Associated Press reports that Eichel will undergo his preferred neck surgery, an artificial disc replacement, on Friday. Eichel’s surgical plans for his herniated disc was really the lynchpin topic of the crumbling relationship between Eichel and the Sabres that led to the Buffalo star requesting a trade after nearly a year out of action. While the disc replacement surgery has never been performed on an NHL player before, it is not an unheard of procedure and provides a number of potential benefits that the alternative fusion procedure. Eichel hopes that his saga with the Sabres will pave a path for players to have more input into their healthcare. “I think my situation shined light on maybe some things that could be changed, and I hope that they are in the future,” Eichel said. “I don’t necessarily agree with the team having the full say in what to do with medical treatment. I think it should be a collaboration.” Vegas was willing to acquire Eichel at a sizeable price and still allow him to have the surgery of his choice, an example of a team allowing a player to call the shots in his own rehabilitation.

  • Tuukka Rask was back in action on Monday, skating with – who else – the Boston Bruins. The veteran goaltender is still recovering from offseason hip surgery, but the expectation has always that he would return to his team at some point this season. That return could come sooner rather than later with Rask at Bruins practice today (though still technically a free agent). Rookie Jeremy Swayman and substantial free agent addition Linus Ullmark have played well thus far, combining for a .911 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA, but Boston has maintained that Rask will be welcomed back if he is healthy and able to return. The team clearly feels that the future Hall of Famer has enough left in the tank to improve their play in net for another year.
  • Even before the season began, there were reports that Libor Hajek had lost his starting job in New York and could be on his way out, either by trade or waivers. The first part of that assumption has proven true, as the 23-year-old has not played a game so far this season, yet Hajek is still a member of the Rangers. The team has opted not to test Hajek on waivers, protecting the once-promising blue liner from their competition, but wasting a roster spot and keeping the defenseman cold are not great strategies either. As a result, the team has announced today that Hajek will head down to the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack on a conditioning stint. Whether this could be precursor to another move involving Hajek remains to be seen, but getting Hajek some game action certainly can’t hurt the Rangers.

Metropolitan Notes: Nyquist, Domi, Hajek, Jarvis

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While Blue Jackets winger Gustav Nyquist has yet to suit up in the exhibition season, don’t interpret that as a setback in his return from a shoulder injury.  Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch notes that the veteran is cleared for contact and is on the second line in practice but clearly, they’re being cautious after the 32-year-old missed all of last season.  Meanwhile, center Max Domi did some drills at practice on Friday as he works his way back from shoulder surgery of his own.  He’s still expected to be out until November at the earliest but his participation in practice suggests his recovery could be on the shorter end of the five-to-six-month timeline.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Once viewed as one of the centerpieces of the trade return for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, Rangers defenseman Libor Hajek’s time with New York could be in jeopardy, suggests Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old has yet to lock down a full-time role and eventually settled for accepting his qualifying offer earlier this offseason.  Hajek has to go through waivers if the Rangers try to send him down and with the potential he was viewed to have just a few years ago, it wouldn’t be surprising if another team put in a claim.  That has him as a bubble player with a lot on the line the next week and a half as a result.
  • With the Hurricanes not being able to send top prospect Seth Jarvis to the AHL due to his age, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer suggests that Carolina may opt to keep him with the big club to start the season. The 19-year-old could play up to nine NHL games before the first year of his entry-level deal would kick in while he wouldn’t accrue a season towards UFA eligibility until he was on the roster for 40 games.  Going that route would allow them a bit more time to evaluate Jarvis’ readiness although the likeliest outcome at this time is an eventual return to Portland in the WHL which isn’t great from a development perspective considering how productive he has been there the last two years.

Defense Notes: Hamonic, Hajek, Capobianco

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Training camp is well underway but the Vancouver Canucks are still awaiting the arrival of veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic. Now, with the deadline to opt out of the coming season arriving on Friday, the team is left to wait to see if they will have the reliable blue liner back after extending him this off-season. Yet, it appears that they will remain patient and calm with Hamonic, who has family concerns to take into account with his decision. Hamonic previously opted out of the 2020 playoff bubble due to his daughter’s respiratory infection and with the NHL returning to a full slate of travel this season, he may be concerned about potential exposure to the Coronavirus and bringing that home. GM Jim Benning tells Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma that he is “confident” that Hamonic will arrive to camp and play this season, but also notes that “he’s dealing with a personal issue and I think everybody should just leave it alone.” Benning did however speak to the team’s COVID vaccination status when discussing Hamonic, which may also imply that he is unvaccinated, adding another layer to his decision. Whatever the cause, time is running out for Hamonic to make his decision, but the Canucks hope the veteran defenseman will be back in the fold as soon as possible.

    • Just a few years after being one of the cornerstone prospects in the Ryan McDonagh trade return, Libor Hajek’s job with the New York Rangers could be in jeopardy. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that sources believe Hajek has slid outside a starting job on the Rangers’ depth chart and possibly even outside of a roster spot. Behind established 23-year-old Ryan Lindgren, 21-year-old rising sophomore K’Andre Miller, and 20-year-old rookie Zac Jones, the 23-year-old Hajek has not done enough to assert himself as a roster lock and can no longer depend on his upside with so much talented youth around him. Lindgren and Miller both greatly outplayed Hajek last year and Jones came in late in the season, after a long college season that ended in a National Championship with UMass, and proceeded to match Hajek’s season point total in just ten games.  Beyond just the youngsters, Brooks reports that veteran free agent addition Patrik Nemeth is also above Hajek on the depth chart. With four lefties seemingly locked into roster spots, Hajek would have to unseat a righty to make the team – and that certainly won’t be Adam Fox or Jacob Trouba – or hope that New York opts to carry eight defenseman, five of which are lefties. Another promising rookie, Nils Lundkvist, is currently penciled in for the final spot on the right side, while a potential fifth lefty spot would also be open to competition from veterans Jarred Tinordi and Anthony Bitetto and promising prospect Matthew Robertson. This all goes to show that there are a lot of defensemen in the mix for the Rangers and Hajek no longer has the shine of a budding star. Even though the likes of Miller, Jones, Lundkvist, and Robertson are all waiver-exempt, don’t be surprised to see New York subject to Hajek to waivers anyhow in order to ensure the best players are on the NHL roster. Whether that decision ultimately means Hajek’s days in the Big Apple are numbered remains to be seen.
    • The Arizona Coyotes have announced that Kyle Capobianco is currently sidelined with a knee injury, which is exactly what the young defenseman did not want in training camp this year. Though PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that he is only considered day-to-day, this is a critical preseason for Capobianco. The left side of the Coyotes blue line was obliterated this off-season with the trade of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, free agent departures of Alex Goligoski and Jordan Oesterle, and retirement of Niklas Hjalmarsson. Even with the addition of Shayne Gostisbehere to a left side now led by Jakob Chychrun, Capobianco flew up the depth chart into a top-three slot. This was his chance to finally secure an NHL starting job, but he risks missing out with a surplus of right-handed defensemen also jockeying for position. If youngsters like Victor Soderstrom, Conor Timmins, and Ty Emberson all prove they should be on the NHL roster while Capobianco sits out, he could lose his starting job, especially with veterans Ilya Lyubushkin and Anton Stralman able to play their off-side.

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